Birth of the Demon
by SylentStryke
Summary: A syndicate takes over Aracadia and develops a weapon. While the Maverick Hunters mop up the remaining Mavericks from the 7th incident, a Rebellion force tries to expose the syndicate to the Hunters and the govt. CHAPTER 6 UP!
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

**Birth of the Demon**

By: SylentStryke

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Capcom owns. It sucks. But that's life. Bob Dole.

* * *

A/N: Welcome to the prequel of Paradise Never. This story takes place a few years before Paradise Never, which is set in between Megaman X7 and Megaman X8. If you've read this before, then you haven't. Meaning that I rewrote basically ALL of the story so far (Chaps 1-5). So, read on! Or read off, read up, read down. Just read!

* * *

**Chapter One: Awakening**

MHHQ  
Time:  
-17:35-

"The streets of Arcadia. Once the most technologically advanced city in the world, nothing more than a ruined memory as of now. All thanks to Silph." Megaman X looked on at the halfway ruined city of Arcadia from just outside the MHHQ perimeter. He clenched his fist as he thought about what had happened a few months ago. Red Alert, Sigma, and now another nuisance, the Silph Syndicate. It's because of them why the city was so dark. But he was still stuck on the fact why an organization would be able to even manifest. Here he was, powerless to stop them. If they didn't have anything to do with Mavericks, hell, some of them were _human_, then the Maverick Hunters need not worry about them. Government's order.

"Even though we aren't part of the government, they prevent us from doing anything. Says it's _their _business." He said to himself as he clenched his fist. He flinched when a gloved hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"It's a mess, hunh?" A familiar voice spoke to him. "Damn government won't let us do anything about it either, while they just sit on their asses and watch." Zero said while staring at the city. X removed his friend's hand from his shoulder and walked towards the doors of the Maverick Hunter Headquarters. "Zero, let's go. We gotta patrol the area for remaining Mavericks." Looking at the city one last time, Zero turned around and walked back into the bustling building, letting his long golden hair snap at the air around him.

* * *

The main lobby of the MHHQ was bustling with commotion. The recent defeat left them busy with paperwork, people wanting to sign up with the Hunters, and a huge mess to clean up. Namely, the rest of the remaining Mavericks. X had recently rejoined the Hunters after resigning for a while. During the Nightmare incident with Gate, the Hunters received a crushing blow to their ranks, leaving them quite vulnerable. They barely made it through the Seventh Maverick Revolt intact, and now were hard pressed to rebuild their ranks. X and Zero walked down the main lobby past the long lines of reploids wanting to join, busy hunters carrying files and data disks, and people just in the way.

"Boy, this sucks! How long do you think it'll take for the base to get up and running again?" Zero asked as his blue friend as he crossed his hands behind his head. "I don't wanna even think about it right now. I shouldn't have ever resigned in the first place..." X said to himself. Zero caught him before he could start moping.

"Ah ah ah! We'll be having none of that! It's not your fault, X!" Zero said as he waved his finger back and forth. "Don't start moping over something you had no control over. Alia wouldn't like that." Zero threw that last part in with a grin. He got instant results when X elbowed him in the gut.

"Come on, Zero! I told you before that we're friends! _Just_ friends!" X said as his face was blushing furiously. Zero chuckled as he was doubling over. "X, I never implied that you two were anything _more_ than that. But you seem like you're hiding something..." X realized that Zero was right. He turned forward and started walking briskly, with Zero hot on his heels.

* * *

Silph Development Lab Central  
Time:  
-17:56-

The Development Lab Central at Silph is a cold, clammy place. This was the main Development Lab, which branched off into Weapon Dev., Armor Dev., Siege Dev., and Special Dev. Without this place, they would not have anything to gain power with. The Central Lab itself held a multitude of personnel, all of which never sat in one place for more than a few minutes. A man in a white coat with a computer chip in his hand walked into the large laboratory. He had a mask on, so his face was obscured from outsiders. He walked over to the door on the far side of the lab labeled Special Dev. He pulled a thin card out of his pocket and slid it into the slot that took place of a door handle. Special Dev. required level 8 clearance, which was only held by the lead scientist and his assistants, the three high commanders and the syndicate boss. The light turned green and he stepped through the doorway. As soon as he was on the other side, the door closed behind him and spat out his card, locking in the process. He walked down a long hallway and showed the door guard his card. Stepping aside, the guard let the lead scientist into the SDL.

* * *

The SDL is the smallest of the four divisions, but produces the most unique equipment; from suspended plasma containers for plasma based weapons, to the short ranged plasma shield emitter found on most of the personnel of Silph. He sat down in a chair next to a computer with various wires and cords running from the back of it. It hummed to life as he messed around with the keyboard.

He pulled up a program that he had to enter three passcodes for before he could view a file labeled 'PROJECT VARIABLE'. The file showed diagnostics of air pressure and programs. After pressing a button on the table, a panel on the floor in the nearby corner of the room slid back, and a large blue capsule rose out of the floor with the 'V.2' labeled at the top. He spun around and gazed at the large, blue cylindrical object next to him. He inserted the chip in his hand into the PC, typed a few keys on the keyboard, and stood up in time to see the capsule whirr to life. He called out to Icon and Essbi, his two assistants.

Panels displaying gauges and internal temperatures glowed and moved around at random intervals. The dark globular piece of the capsule remained dark. The scientist pressed a key on the capsule's panel, and the dark globe became translucent, revealing the face of a not-yet-activated reploid in suspended animation.

She had light blue hair that floated around aimlessly in the liquid. To a passerby, she would look like a dead girl that some sick minded person was preserving. This was not the case, as she had never been activated. "Dr. Torious, have you figured out the problem with her systems yet?"

The man was about to say something when his communicator beeped furiously.

"Yes. What do you want?"

"(Indistinct words)"

"It's ready! Well bring it up!"

"(Indistinct words)"

"Alright, alright! I'll be right there." He turned off his communicator and faced his assistants. "They have just finished analyzing the Legendary Data as well as the Control Program. I'll be back in a few minutes. Watch over her until then." With that the man sprinted to the sliding doors and flew out of them, not even bothering to lock them up again.

The white-coated man ran halfway down the hall and turned right. He hopped on the elevator and descended into the basement of SDL. The guard walked slowly around the hallway. He stopped when he saw a distortion in front of him. "What the-" He started but soon found himself being picked up and flipped over on his back. He jumped up and held his pistol at the ready, looking for anything suspicious. There was no one there but him. "Man, I need a break." He continued his patrol. While he was checking for imaginary intruders, he failed to see and hear the unlocked door slide open and close.

* * *

All was quiet in the lab except for the soft hum of the capsule and the whispers of the assistants. They were ogling the capsule with much anxiousness. "The doctor said that everything should go smoothly this time, right?" Icon asked the female assistant. Essbi nodded. "Yes, this time he slowed her memory recovery, so that she won't rebel like last time. And the Control chip should make sure that she doesn't defect. Once this is complete, we'll have the upper-" She suddenly stopped talking. "Essbi? Where'd you go?" Icon looked around the lab for his partner. He suddenly felt himself being restrained by an unknown force. Then he was flipped backwards and landed on his back, knocking his head on the hard ground as his body came to a rest. He caught a glimpse of a female that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Cloaking...field..." He said before passing out.

This mystery reploid stood at about 5'6", with lavender and chrome trimmed armor. She had tanned skin and some kind of visor covering her eyes. She pressed a button on the visor, and it flipped up to her forehead, forming a head band of sorts. She blew a puff of air at the silver-tipped black bangs of hair covering her emerald eyes. She walked towards the capsule.

She stopped at the capsule and looked at the face inside. "Ok. This looks like her: blue hair, suspended in animation." A small vibration in her right ear told her that she had a message coming through. She brought a finger up to tap a dial on her headband visor.

'Echo, did you have any trouble getting in there?' A male voice spoke through her comm link.

"Nah. Heh, the security around here is a joke, Scar." Echo said in a cocky voice.

'Good. Now hurry. That scientist is due back in about 3 minutes. Let _no one_ see you. They know our faces too well, and we can't risk a conflict with them directly. Yet.' Scar said in a calm voice.

"Gotcha. The job will be done in a matter of seconds." Echo said with confidence as she felt the comm link deactivating. She thought to herself as she rushed over to the capsule. She began messing around with the keypad on the capsule, pushing random keys hoping for the best. A loud explosion was heard before a fierce pain coursed throughout her left shoulder as she screamed out in pain.

She halted her progress on the capsule and turned her head to face the source of her pain. It was the guard from the hallway. He held up a standard issue E-Pistol, with the sight set on Echo's heart. He walked over to her while reaching for a device on his hip and bringing it up to his face. Echo realized what it was and quickly spun around.

"HEY! I need some help over in the SDL area! Send some back..." He shouted but was cut off by a swift kick to his abdomen. This also caused him to fire a shot which missed her completely and struck the capsule, and another which shorted out the lock on the door. As his body lifted off the ground and formed a bent, hunched shape, another quick blow sent him further into the air, knocking off his helmet in the process. As it clattered to the ground, Echo jumped into the air after him and jammed a dagger into his power processor deep in his chest cavity. She landed and replaced her dagger. The body of the guard exploded from a leak in his power core unit. A warm wave of wind surrounded the intruder as she gripped her wounded shoulder. Blood and other mechanical fluids gushed freely from the wound, staining the lavender paint a bright crimson. She turned around and saw that one by one, the panels on the outside of the capsule were turning off. The lights emanating from the capsule faded and the liquid inside the capsule could be heard sloshing around.

"Shorted the circuit for me. Well, I'm off!" Echo whispered. She pressed a button on her headband and activated a program. The visor slid down over her eyes as she started flashing a negative color. She looked behind her as she saw the door forming bulges. With a bright flash of light, all that remained of Echo was her trace amounts of blood and fluids on the ground near the deceased guard's helmet.

The capsule had drained all of the fluid and was now releasing the locks. The pounding at the door became more intense as each lock released. The final binding unshackled as the capsule doors slid open. Clouds of white air escaped the capsule as a figure slumped down to the ground. The guards broke through the barrier and rushed to the far side of the lab. They froze in their tracks.

"What the...hell is that?" One of the guards asked. He looked down at the empty helmet of their comrade and snarled. "Ready your weapons!" He shouted as they aimed their weapons at the awakening reploid.

The capsule flashed and a female voice spoke from it. "_Prototype 00-00-0-2 Raydia Deltion. Systems activated. **Warning: premature activation may result in undesired actions. Proceed with caution.**_" The blue haired prototype's head snapped up and her eyes shot open. This struck fear into the guards, as her eyes were pure white with no absolute color. Then what's worse, they started to shine. Next, a bright flash engulfed everything in the room as the sapphire reploid levitated into the air.

Then, just as quick as the light came, it left. The guards turned their heads back around to face the azure reploid. There she was; just standing there, eyes glancing cold, empty stares at them. She looked down at her hands she flexed her fists, closing one finger at a time in rapid succession, then opening them in the same manner. Feeling desperate, one of the guards fired a shot at her, which grazed her left cheek. Her head snapped up in reaction at the guard, who flinched wildly and didn't know what to expect next. She held out her hand, then what seemed to be a piece of debris rose up and flew into her hand. She then raised her hand and it started to glow. The little cube she held morphed into a medium sized sub-machine weapon. She brought a finger up to her cheek, then stared at the blood on it for a few moments. Her eyes snapped up to meet with the eyes of the guards. Too bad for them that she was activated in 'Combat Mode'.

To be continued...

* * *

Okay! That's one! Four to go! Not much to say! Review please! Those notes you leave authors after you finish a chapter is of great inspiration to them! I like reading them! Give me something to read! Enough yelling! Stay tuned! 


	2. Chapter 2: Escape

**Birth of the Demon**

By: SylentStryke

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Capcom owns. It sucks. But that's life. Bob Dole.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Escape**

Secret Development Lab  
Time:  
-18:03-

Raydia concentrated on the frightened guards in front of her. She had her weapon aimed at the lead guard, who was stiff as a board. The subordinate behind him looked down at the leader's palm. It silently formed a fist, followed by a jutting index finger and middle finger. That meant 'Go for the alarm, now'. The subordinate repeated the action down the line while Raydia remained waiting for some type of movement.

After what seemed like ages, the first three guards opened fire on the reploid prototype while the last two made a beeline for the alarm in the corner. At almost the same instance, Raydia pulled the trigger on the SMG, not even bothering to move out of the paths of the approaching bullets. Red energy shells erupted from the SMG, ripping the lead guard apart. The first bullet struck Raydia on the shoulder and the next two tore into her abdomen. She winced a bit, but did not flinch from the pain. The lead guard exploded into limbs, as Raydia went after the second and third guards.

The two alarm guards were almost at their destination when two more explosions were heard. Three sets of footsteps were heard as they raced towards their goal. "Damn! She's too strong! What the hell _is _she?" One of the guards said as he turned around. He looked back towards the capsule for the prototype. No one there. "Hurry! H-hit the alarm!" He shouted nervously.

Suddenly, a flash of sapphire appeared in front of him. Raydia held the morph cube out to the side as it took form of a katana. The guard quickly let loose a shot from point blank. Somehow, the shot never got fired. He felt a sharp, needle like pain in his mid-abdomen and lower back. He looked down at Raydia as she held him in the air with her blade impaled through him. The morph-katana shifted again into the SMG. She didn't think twice about pulling the trigger. He felt a rush of intense pain as he was lifted even further into the air with each bullet fired.

Another explosion snapped the remaining guard out of his daze. He pulled the alarm switch as Raydia charged at him with full speed. The katana appeared once more as Raydia stopped in front of him. He raised his pistol at her and pulled the trigger. Raydia grabbed the guard's pistol hand and applied pressure, causing the bullet to miss widely. Some loud whirring and clicking could be heard as Raydia crushed the guard's hand. She then proceeded to twist the screaming guard's mauled hand around until it snapped. Jumping back, she dashed towards the crippled guard and brought her blade horizontally across his midsection. A mix of reploid blood and hydraulic fluid splashed on the wall as the guard's upper body slid cleanly off of his lower half. Both parts slumped to the ground and exploded, leaving a reserve energy pack behind. Raydia picked it up and stored it in her energy reserves. She deactivated the cube and stood there, gazing at the wall for a moment. Then she suddenly gripped her head and began screaming loudly. This went on for about a minute before the pain ceased. Still holding her head with one hand, she went for the door.

* * *

Rebellion Secret Base  
Time:  
-17:58-

A bright flash appeared in the medical wing of the Rebellion Base. As the flash faded, Echo was kneeling on the ground near a warping pad. She stood up slowly and walked over to the recovery bed. Letting out a groan, she plopped down lazily as an automated healing program activated. It phased her armor off and phased it in over on the repair table, then it began into analyze her injury. She was left wearing a black formfitting jumpsuit that had a large rip in her left shoulder. She unzipped the upper half of the worn jumpsuit to reveal her punctured joint.

Moments passed before the room's doors slid open. Bright light poured into the room from behind a dark silhouette. Into the room stepped a tall man clad in jet black armor. On his back he carried a three and a half foot blade made of digisteel; the most solid substance in the universe. He removed his helmet as the door closed shut behind him.

"So, how'd it go?" He asked Echo while taking note of her shoulder. "Not so well. I managed to take one in the shoulder. But no one knows of my presence; I took out the guy who shot me." She said, crying out a bit as the program jammed a needle with numbing nanomachines into her bicep.

"'Security around here's a joke, Scar!'" Scar said as he grabbed himself a seat next to the wounded reploid. She put on a mock frown as he chuckled lightly. He picked up the remote lying on the table next to his chair and pressed a few buttons. Then he aimed it at the wall across from him and pressed one more button. A bright image appeared where the wall once was. A news reporter behind a rock was shouting into her mic as a full fledged war was going on behind her. Plasma beams, debris, explosions and cries of all kinds nearly drowned out her voice as she desperately tried to describe what was happening behind her.

"Scar, are those the Maverick Hunters?" Echo asked quizzically. She didn't get an answer from him because he seemed to be studying the situation. "Cause if they are, they are in some serious s--"

"Shh!" Scar hissed as Echo choked back the rest of her words. She turned back to the newscast.

"As you can clearly see behind me, the Maverick Hunters are severely outnumbered by the brigade of Mavericks charging at them! They are forced to retreat, as there is no hope. This is it, ladies and gentlemen." Just then, a bright beam rained down from the sky between the Maverick Hunters and the Mavericks. The horde of Mavericks suddenly halted on a dime. From the bright dome of light emerged an indistinguishable figure. All was silent. Suddenly, breaking the silence, a voice shouted out from the silhouette towards the camera man: "Hey! Are you gettin' this!" This voice was all too familiar.

The newswoman turned back to the camera and continued to needlessly announce what could be seen. "Astonishing! The Mavericks are... retreating! It seems that they are frightened by this mystery warrior! I knew were going to be saved! No doubt in my mind! Hey! Over here!" She shouted as the camera turned to the group of reploids fleeing from a wild man. They seemed to be shouting something along the lines of 'demon' or 'devil'. Then a bright bulb of pulsing blue energy tore through a good chunk of them as they quickly reversed directions, this time shouting out 'angel'. The two Hunters then charged into the center of the crowd, weapons charged and primed. Multiple explosions occurred and screams of terror emanated from the depleting horde of mavericks. Moments later, the mavericks that still had limbs retreated while the once oppressed Maverick Hunters celebrated rather robustly. Then the camera found its way to the newswoman.

"No way! Scar, I don't believe that!" Echo said with much surprise. "Yeah, those guys are _that _damn good. It's a shame that they won't help us fight Silph." Scar said with a sigh.

"Well why the hell not!"

"Well, for starters, their supreme commander says that they are 'currently dealing with their own affairs', I'm guessing that he means the Mavericks. I tried many times this morning, but the answers were all the same.

"In other words, they won't help us because they're too busy fending off a few Metools." Echo said sarcastically. The healing program now sprayed a protective barrier over her shoulder. He shook his head.

"Not exactly. The Government Council is notorious with keeping the Hunters out of their hair. You know the reploid prototype that Silph was developing? The one you freed?" Scar asked her as he stood up and grabbed a fresh bandage from the wall cabinet. "Yeah."

"Well, rumor has it that she has copy DNA consisting of Zero and Megaman X." He began to wrap her shoulder with the bandage, taking care not to press down too hard.

"But, how is that possible? The data of those two has never been able to be fully analyzed. Well, at least not by normal measures."

"Right, that's why I think it's just a rumor. But we can't afford not to check into it." He said while finishing the wrap. "Where's she gonna end up? If they don't destroy us first that is."

"She should be just out of Arcadia, by the ocean." Scar said as he applied the clamps to fasten the bandage. "So who's gonna go pick her up?" Echo asked dubiously.

Scar gave her a smirk. "I'll go next time. You need time to rest, with your injury and all." She shifted uncomfortably, knowing that he was teasing her.

"OK. Thanks for helpin' me with 'my injury'. It means a_ lot_." She said mockingly.

"No prob. Oh yeah, do you need anything else?" He said, missing the point entirely.

"No. Some sleep should do me good. If I do though, I'll call _Ghostbusters_." She chuckled as he made a sour face and left the room. Oh yeah. Sleep sounded good. Especially when you're overworked.

* * *

MHHQ  
Time:  
-18:04-

X and Zero walked into the doors of the MHHQ, followed by their units and the media. This was a crappy day that turned into a great day, for the Hunters had finally gotten rid of the Maverick threat, for a while that is. Now they had to just get things in order, like fixing and expanding the building, filling their ranks and beating the media off of them. Despite all of this, X sighed heavily. "Huuuuhhhhaaaaaah!" Zero looked over at his distressed friend.

"What was that for?" Zero asked the blue reploid. They rounded the corner and walked down to the armory. "I still don't feel satisfied. I thought that once we defeat the Mavericks, things would be solved."

"You mean you still wanna check these Silph guys out?" Zero said, getting to the point. X looked over at his friend with a miffed expression. "...Yeah..." Zero grinned. "Same here, pal." The two made it to the armory elevator and hopped on. X pressed the down button and the lift made its descent. Zero took his helmet off and held it at his side. He was already starting to feel bored. He started to stare at the ceiling. There was a hole there that only he knew about.

_It was when he was giving Axl a tour of the base. Zero was pretty much as bored as he had ever been was he caught a glimpse of something spinning on Axl's finger. Looking over at the young reploid, he saw that he was spinning one of his magnums around the trigger guard on his forefinger. Cocking an eyebrow, Zero turned his gaze to the young gunslinger._

"_Where'd ya learn to do that?" Zero asked, excitement tingeing his voice. Axl grinned as he threw the magnum behind and over his right shoulder then slid his right index finger into the trigger guard as it came down and kept spinning the handgun, all in one fluid motion. "I practice in my spare time." Zero whistled. "I gotta hand it to ya kid, that's pretty damn good!" Zero said while grinning._

"_Thanks!" Axl grinned as he abruptly stopped the handgun. He didn't expect a bullet to exit the gun however, and jumped when it had done so. Zero mimicked the motion then looked up at the ceiling. A small, but otherwise unnoticeable hole was visible in the ceiling. He looked down at Axl who was staring at where he left his mark. Putting his guns away he smiled at Zero sheepishly. Zero returned his smirk as the elevator slowed to a stop._

"Zero? Are you there? Hellooo?" X's voice pierced through his reminisce. "You gonna get off, or do you plan on making that your new room?" Growling, Zero stepped off the lift and trotted over towards his locker.

* * *

Silph HQ  
Time:  
-18:08-

Raydia walked towards the front door of Silph's main building. As it opened, bright, orange light poured into the long hallway, illuminating the clumps of dead guards before getting swallowed by darkness. She wasted no time running full speed into the destroyed city.

Cracked and uneven roads formed jagged landscapes. Collapsed buildings lined the horizon. All of this was contrasted by a beautiful sunset. Raydia had never been here before, but, it felt strangely familiar to her. This had once been a part of Downtown Arcadia. She noticed a building to the north. Sensing no one behind her, she decided to walk to her destination.

Moments passed and many thoughts flashed through her mind. Who am I? What am I? Where am I? Why am I here? Who is trying to destroy me? She scaled a wall of overturned cars and slabs of digicrete. She continued on towards her destination. She swung her right hand and a blade formed into it. It was an odd feeling and looking material, feeling like a lightweight grade of metal, black in color but the outlining edges were scarlet red. She held it out in front of her and it began to morph into a submachine gun. It had the same properties as the katana. She released the grip and let the weapon drop, but instead, it floated in midair a split second before fading away like a hologram. She began to check her systems while the ruined building came into view.

**Main power unit: Silph E.P.U ver. 2.0  
****Status: Online**

**Cerebral Processor: Unknown  
****Status: Online**

**Sensory Functions: Unknown  
****Status: Online**

**Weapon Systems: C.U.B.E. (Cubic Unique Battle Equalizer) ver. 2.1  
****Status: Online, Incomplete**

**Armor Systems: Valkyrie Type Gemini ver. 1.0  
****Status: Online, Auto-repairs at 98 percent**

**Memory Bank: Unknown  
****Status: Online, Incomplete**

**Voice Unit: Loading at 2 percent  
****  
Total weight: 100 lbs.  
****Height: 5'8"  
****Physical age: 19 years  
****Mental age: Growing from 16 years  
****Gender: Female**

**System check incomplete. Components incomplete and/or missing.  
****Total system composition: 78 percent**

Raydia opened her eyes to see where she was going. She looked down at her hands and inspected them. Just what had happened? The system check told her that she had just recently been activated, and prematurely at that. So why was she assaulting herself with questions? A loud cracking sound broke her out of her trance. Stopping, she looked around her for signs of enemy presence. Nothing. The twenty yard stretch of road she was walking on gave way with a loud crumbling sound. She tried to jump, but didn't get too far because she was right in the middle of the deep sinkhole. Realizing that a vast amount of liquid was below her, she reached out desperately for the edge of the newly formed pool. She looked up at the orange sky that seemed to ripple and shift as she sank lower into the water. Her eyes shrank as a new image surged through her brain.

_She was drowning. Her arms were flailing out in front of her as bubbles of air escaped her mouth. The water was cold, and she saw a shimmering white moon in the sky. She looked down to see an infinite void, waiting to swallow her. Then, everything went black._

Opening her eyes, Raydia realized that she was lying on the ground. Looking up, she saw a shimmering object. She suddenly realized that she was submerged underwater. She scrambled to her feet and leapt up with unreal speed. As she exited the watery sinkhole, she landed on solid ground in a crouch, coughing up water and panting heavily. She looked back at the sinkhole with shrunken pupils as she somewhat hyperventilated. She slowly stood up before a message in her systems alerted her that water covering her outer layer was being evaporated. She ran a hand through her hair and found that it was indeed dry. Shrugging it off, she hurried towards the close-at-hand building.

* * *

When Raydia stepped into the building, she took in the stench of death and destruction. Particularly, blood and debris. She heard a baritone humming sound as she set foot inside the ruined building. The ground beneath her vibrated suddenly. The wall opposite of her glowed furiously blue. Without a second thought, she leapt into the air and sent herself into a backwards flip, barely avoiding death as a large blue bulb of pure plasma tore through the air under her and into the wall. While she was upside down, she took note of the new threat. A white armored tank, decorated with red panels and gray edging, made its way towards her, its massive energy cannon still cackling with raw energy.

She spun herself around before landing squarely on the ground in a crouch. She held out her right hand and formed the submachine. She aimed it at the tank and watched it with deadly eyes.

To be continued...

* * *

Okay! Two redone chapters! Three more before I reach...(calculator keys clicking) ...Five! Stay with me! I can do this! Stay tuned! 


	3. Chapter 3: Safe for now

**Birth of the Demon**

By: SylentStryke

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Capcom owns. It sucks. But that's life. Bob Dole.

Thanks to Xangel-Rebirth and Archaon for reviewing. (Archaon reviewed before I reposted this story.)

* * *

**Chapter Three: Safe for now**

Arcadia Ruins  
Time:  
-18:14-

The tank barricaded the only door into the building. Now she was stuck. She was either going to die, or turn herself in. Or think of something else. She raised her weapon and fired a few shots to test the mettle of the tank, which reflected off of it. Impregnable. She gritted her teeth, trying to think of another plan. A loud voice emanated from the tank.

"You there! You are to surrender under orders of Silph! Failure to comply will result in your destruction! What is your decision?" Raydia contemplated over a solution. This was funny. She could hear, but could not speak as of yet. Suddenly, she realized the tank was operated by a pilot, not automatic. A sly idea popped up in her head, she only hoped that it would work. Holding up her hands, she released her weapon in a mock surrender. "That's it. Now walk slowly over towards the tank," the same deep voice said.

"Good girl," the voice said in a dry tone. Raydia stopped a few inches away from the large plasma cannon which made up 45 percent of the digisteel tank. Puffs of white steam escaped from the seams on the side of the tank. A small panel folded out and stopped when it hit the ground. Two guards wielding large shields stepped out of the tank and approached the mysterious reploid.

One shielded guard moved slowly behind her. The guard in front of her wielded an auto-plasma pistol and aimed a laser at her head. "Put your arms behind your back," the guard with the pistol commanded. Raydia moved her arms down towards her back slowly. At about halfway, she phased in her sub machine gun and aimed it at the pistol guard. He wasted no time in firing a string of shots at the blue-haired reploid. Quicker than lightning, Raydia felt something take control of her and jerk her head to the side, avoiding the shots. The guard behind her screamed out in anguish as the bullets pierced through his helmet and throat. As he fell back, Raydia proceeded to draw her blade and rush at the mortified guard. "Shit!" the pilot screamed as he drew the door back into the tank.

Raydia jumped at the guard with her blade held out. He put up his shield in an attempt to deflect the katana, but was surprised when she shot him instead, then kicked off of the shield as he was slumping over towards the slowly closing tank panel. As she was sailing through the air towards the door, the tank swiveled its rear thrusters to the side in order to pivot around and deny the girl entry. She swung her blade at the tank as it did so, striking the side of the cannon and sending sparks everywhere. She landed on the ground and eyed the tank.

"Dammit! You're dead! Toast her!" the tank commander shouted as it fired a plasma repeating cannon at the reploid. She turned and ran for the nearest wall, dodging the multiple plasma bullets that peppered her footprints. She didn't slow down when she came to the wall, but instead ran along it at an angle. The bullet trail followed her up and down the wall before it the gun overheated. As soon as she hit the ground, she rushed towards the tank. She shot a few rounds into the large metal drum, which caused the giant metal machine to whine unhappily. She took a swipe at the tank with her blade as she stopped in front of the massive cannon, removing a sheet of armor from it. She prepared another strike with her blade, but stopped when she felt the air behind her shift and heat up. She saw a familiar blue glow form deep in the center of the large cannon.

She dropped the blade and jumped back as she felt a wave of air rush towards the cannon. A loud screeching sound filled the room as the plasma cannon erupted. The large, bulbous sphere of plasma tore through the ground, leaving a trail of broken tiles and dirt, along with a one foot deep divot in the wall with multiple hairline cracks spreading from it. Raydia turned her attention back towards the tank, grimacing in the process. She stood up, clenching her badly charred left arm. "Missed her!" The tank hissed.

The tank charged at her with a roar. Raydia painstakingly jumped out of the way, just barely avoiding the large tank. She tucked herself into a roll when she hit the ground and unfurled when the tank smashed into the wall. She pulled out her submachine gun and pulled the trigger. The tank began whirring unhappily as each bullet smashed into its unprotected side. Then it blew out sparks in every direction, causing it to stall. She paused when she saw this, and ran towards the tank with her blade drawn.

Each step she took jarred her loosened arm, sending dull spasms of pain through her battered limb. Multiple alarms in her head were screaming at her, all of which she ignored. The tank had managed to turn in her direction, although it had been damaged greatly. Raydia stopped in front of the tank and reeled back, preparing to cut through the open panel of the cannon. As she swung her blade down, she felt something pull out of her. She was surprised when the blade in her hand involuntarily phased out. She was even more surprised when the cannon suddenly howled and glowed with incandescent light. She barely had time to hold her good arm in front of her face before the cannon discharged the blast. Raydia let out a loud scream as she was engulfed in the ubiquitous heat of the never-ending plasma wave.

Her entire world went white as she tumbled around in the stream of plasma. Her back slammed against the previously weakened wall, this time tearing through it. She bounced haphazardly along the jagged ground after the beam dissipated. She cried out each time she skidded along the ground, her tumbling becoming slower as the pain in her body increased. She finally stopped bouncing around and slid a few yards towards a cliff on her front side.

The back of her armor was riddled with scrapes and peeled paint. The thin gray jumpsuit was all but torn to shreds. Even in her battered condition, she somehow managed to flip herself over and stand up. She looked down over the cliff at the crashing waves below. Her sight, mainly her left eye, was more than a bit blurry. She turned around slowly when she heard the sound of a damaged hover vehicle. What she saw as a large blob of matter was actually the badly damaged tank, slowly approaching and giving off a ton of smoke. Her vision quickly faded until it everything became black. She felt her sense of touch give way, and she took slow, steady steps backwards towards the cliff. Before her hearing cut off, she heard footsteps rapidly approaching her while a voice called out to her. Then a deafening explosion drowned out everything. She fell back, not hitting solid ground.

* * *

MHHQ  
Time:  
-18:30-

Zero knocked lifelessly on the door. He had been knocking nonstop for five minutes, and by this time he had already dropped his bags. Needless to say, he was getting agitated by being ignored. He had thought that renovations would be a good thing. He had no idea that it meant _his _room would be first. Sighing, he began thinking up a scheme that would expose Signas for the mean bastard he was.

"Hmm. If I could get my hands on a spare rocket...no, that won't work. Maybe I can snag a video camera and set it in his commander's chair...no, well, maybe."

"Zero? What are you doing?" X asked his friend while eying the bags suspiciously. Zero took in a long sigh.

"X. Remember when you said 'What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine'?"

"...No..."

"Long story short, I need a place to stay. Lo and behold, you were the first person to pop up!"

"..._why _do you need a place to stay?"

"Signas made me involuntarily volunteer the 0th quarters for renovation. Hence, I'm standing here, waiting for a friend to give me a home."

"Zero, don't you have any other friends that'll let you room with them?"

"Of course I do...'cept they're all in the same situation I'm in." Zero said sheepishly. X clapped a hand to his face, seeing no way to escape the torture to come. Sighing greatly, he turned toward the blond menace with clenched teeth.

"Don't. Destroy. Anything. Got it?" He said while looking down at his friend, even though he was physically shorter than he was. Zero nodded and walked into the room. He immediately walked to the closet and lobbed his belongings in before grabbing an energy soda out of X's mini fridge. He then proceeded to plop down on the old style Lazy Boy in the corner and turned the large T.V. in the wall to a movie. X just stared in awe. Zero knew his room better than he did!

"X! You should check this out! It's called 'Plastic Cog Gaseous 3: Gorilla Feeder'." Giving in to defeat, X went along for the ride. "What's it about?"

"Dunno yet. I heard it's based on a hit video game." Zero said as the T.V. showed a man with a bandanna grab an enemy soldier and throw him to the ground. X was about to sit down when his unit phone rang. Grunting, he picked up the phone and answered it with a yawn. After a few indistinct words, X slammed the phone down on the receiver.

"Zero, Signas wants to see us A.S.A.P. He says it's something about Arcadia and that organized syndicate."

* * *

Rebellion Secret Base  
Time:  
-18:56-

Raydia felt like she was falling. Falling down an infinite pit of darkness. Was this death? It had to be. It wasn't so bad. But she would be eternally bored just falling forever. But she still had questions. Who is Raydia Deltion, or rather, who _was_ she? What was her purpose? None of that even mattered now. Her surroundings were lucid. Suddenly, the darkness around her shifted to a shade of blue. Surprised, she positioned herself upright to take in the sight. Such a fluorescent col...wait a minute. Sight? She could see? _Hello?_ Then there came a bright light. Shadows _Hello?_ towered over her. They seemed to be talking to each other? _Hey!_ Or were they talking to her? It didn't matter she couldn't... not hear them? _Alright, she's awake. Let's turn on the rest of her systems._

The shadows took form now. She determined the tall one to be male, and the one closer to her to be a female. Also, she felt a dull chill spreading over her body from her back. It seemed like all of her systems were on, though still waking up.

"Hey. How do you feel? Can you sit up?" The female asked her. Raydia looked at her sluggishly and began to sit up. They...didn't look like enemies. She spun herself around on the table, dangling her legs off of the edge. The floor seemed to spin. "Ehh..." She hopped down to the floor and tipped over forward. The male jumped in front of her and caught her in his arms. "Whoa, not so fast! You need to rest for while. Let your motor systems boot up completely." He said as he helped her back over to the maintenance table. His voice was strangely soothing, the voice of a well seasoned doctor. She climbed onto the table and began to doze off.

"Alright, she'll be good to go in about an hour." The female said. "Great work, by the way. Maybe now we can all sleep easier tonight." The man said. Then they walked out. Raydia rolled over, trying to get comfortable. Rest is what she needed right now.

* * *

Silph HQ  
Time:  
-18:37-

Shin stormed into the main base of Silph operations. He was a tall, muscular reploid with crimson red hair and armor to match. He stomped divots into the ground around the meeting hall until he found his company's commander. "Harl!" Shin shouted through clenched teeth. The nervous sub-commander's blood froze as he broke away from his group and fell in before his commander. "S-sir!" Shin immediately vice-gripped the smaller reploid's throat and lifted him into the air. "Tell me exactly what the hell happened? Why did one of my tanks get destroyed? WHY DIDN"T YOU SUBDUE THE ENEMY?" The helpless reploid squirmed in the death-hold grip of his superior. He couldn't really talk, but he managed to choke out a few words. "Spit it out!" Shin said, fire leaping from his eyes.

"S-sir. While we were doing so, ack, another reploid appeared out of nowhere! He destroyed the tank and a few of my men! I, ack, don't know where the girl went!" Shin's face twisted up in anger before he dropped his squad leader. "Get outta here!" He barked at the smaller and now shaking reploid. Harl scuffled to his feet and ran for the door. Shin walked out of the other door and heard a lone clap.

"Very good, Shin. You've somehow managed to _not _snap this one's neck." A female voice said while clapping. Shin's eye was twitching. "Maybe I should have! I swear Mira, I always get rejects who can't do anything without someone holdin' their damn hand!"

"That makes two of us..." Mira remarked under her breath. Shin caught wind of it and got in her face.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

"It means that Mister Silph himself wants us to appear in front of him." Shin quickly let his malice subside and ran off down the hall. "Well, don't just stand there! Let's go!" Mira smirked as she pushed herself off the wall. She stood at a whopping 5'6". Mira has glacier blue eyes along with a fair complexion and medium length silver hair. She wore a sky blue combat armor and carried a type of beam weapon.

"I wonder if reploids can get ADD?" She pondered as she walked down the hall after Shin.

To be continued...

* * *

3! Three! III! In case you were wondering about 'Plastic Cog Gaseous 3: Gorilla Feeder', it's a Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater parody/reference. I've been playing that game a lot, which is why I haven't done much with this story, but fear not! Two more to revise, then you shall have new, never before seen chapters! Stay tuned! 


	4. Chapter 4: The Plan

**Birth of the Demon**

By: SylentStryke

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Capcom owns. It sucks. But that's life. Bob Dole.

A.N.: Sorry for the wait! I got a new HP PSC 1610 AIO. In short, it's a printer, scanner and copier! I can finally upload my artwork! Maybe I'll post a few... So that's where all of my time went not too long ago. Anyway, here's the fourth rewritten chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Plan**

Rebellion Secret Base  
Time:  
-20:04-

"_Help me! Help me, please! I don't wanna die!_ _Someone, anyone, help me!_"

Raydia's eyes snapped open as she nearly let out a scream. She sat up and panted, sweat beading on her forehead. She looked around at her surroundings, a room with plain white walls, and matching floor tiles. She checked her systems and found that her voice unit was functioning now. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the dream she just had.

"Nothing," She muttered. This was actually the first time she has heard her own voice. Who was she? System checks told her she was Raydia Deltion, a standard reploid model. She gave up on trying to remember any more, and hopped off of the bed.

She looked around the room a bit more and found a digital clock. It read '20:07'. After blinking a few times, she stretched out her arms. She was startled when a knock was heard at her door. "Come in." Raydia called out. A woman about the same height as her walked in. She had lightly tanned skin and jet black hair with green eyes. She wore a dark blue t-shirt and khaki capri's. She held a panel with a thick book on top in one of her arms.

"Hi! How are you feeling?" The woman asked the rescued reploid. She stared at the dark haired woman for a few seconds before answering her question. "I guess I'm...okay," Raydia said, removing her hand from her head.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I'm Rayne Zelinger: lead dispatcher for the Rebellion." The woman said while extending her hand. Raydia looked down at this strange gesture and remembered what to do. She mimicked the gesture and introduced herself. "Raydia Deltion."

Rayne gave her a smirk. "Alright then, Raydia. Feel like meetin' the team?" She asked, but reconsidered after glancing over the blue haired girl. "On second thought, I think we need to get you some clothes. Follow me, I'll grab you something to wear." Raydia smiled weakly and nodded.

>>>

Rayne gestured for Raydia to enter her room, which was quite spacious for a small rebellious cause. Rayne immediately rushed to a door across the room and slid it back, revealing layers upon layers of clothing. She muttered to herself as she rummaged through the rows of garments, occasionally glancing over at Raydia's figure.

Raydia on the other hand had found a full-sized mirror. She gazed at the form that gazed back. The woman she saw was approximately 5'7". She had piercing dark blue eyes, which contrasted against her creamy white skin. Her radiant hair was a gentle sky blue. The woman was slender, but not bony; tone, but not muscular. She was garbed in a gray jumpsuit that was normally found under the armor of most combat reploids. By this time, Rayne had picked out something and trotted over to her guest.

"Here ya go, try these!" She said as she handed her the clothing and a pair of shoes. She stepped out of the room and left Raydia some privacy.

She laid the clothes out on the bed, taking into account the softness of the sheets. She then reached around on her back, searching for the zipper. She unzipped it once she found it, and slipped out of the form-fitting jumpsuit, leaving only her underwear. She grabbed the jeans by the waist and flipped them out, then stepped into them and buttoned them up. Next, she pulled on the jet black shirt, which fit her loosely but not to the point where she was falling out of it. Now she stepped into the tennis shoes and clipped the straps together. She stood up and patted herself down, then grabbed the jumpsuit and headed for the door. She stole another glance at herself in the mirror before smiling and walking out.

This place didn't seem to be too bad. Maybe she could get a few answers to her many questions. She had to learn more about herself. Like why she was able to navigate that Silph building so well and how she knew how to utilize the morph cube. But more importantly: Where was she _now_? She had been saved by someone, so now she had to decide if she would return the favor. It didn't really matter, because in the back of her mind, she was going help these guys no matter what.

* * *

Silph HQ  
Time:  
-19:01-

Shin had a blank face as he received a harsh reprimand by the syndicate leader. He constantly nodded his head in a sloppy manner, agreeing to everything his boss was screaming at him about. Mira had found a chair to sit in and was observing the situation.

"Shin, give me ONE good reason why I shouldn't have you put in front of the firing squad!"

"Yep."

"'Yep'? God, you're an idiot. You should be thankful that I need a commander to lead the melee squad. STOP NODDING YOUR HEAD!"

"Okay." He smiled as he stopped nodding involuntarily. Gin Barox developed a twitching eye as he turned toward Mira who was currently dozing off. He stood up and put on his jacket and motioned for Shin to follow him. Mira had recovered from her daze as soon as the loud yelling stopped, and got up and followed them.

"You two are my best commanders and need to know the dire situation we're in." Gin said as he rounded a corner of the busy hallway.

"Which 'dire situation' would that be, sir?" Mira asked respectfully. The man took something out of his pocket and slid it into the slot on the door. It opened and they walked in.

"That female reploid that 'assaulted' us earlier is no ordinary reploid. In fact, she wasn't the one who started this whole mess." He said while stuffing the card back into his pocket. This caught Mira attention. "Then, just who is she?" They walked into the last door and were greeted by a completely different environment. Mira and Shin never knew about the Secret Development Lab, so it's needless to say that they were shocked.

"'She' is the answer to our greatest problems. I welcome you to the Secret Development Lab."

* * *

MHHQ  
Time:  
-18:45-

X and Zero were sitting in chairs across from a large office desk in a large office. They were waiting. And bored. Nothing but the ticking of the old styled analog clock hanging on the wall and the spaced out tapping of X's foot on the ground filled the room. Signas had called them to his office fifteen minutes ago, only to have them wait. Zero was the first to snap from boredom.

"Damn that Signas! First he takes away my living space, now he confines me in his office? That does it! It's good-bye for his desk!" Zero shouted as he kicked Signas' oversized cushioned chair to the side. He placed a foot on the table and drew his saber out from nowhere. He twisted it downwards and hoisted it above his head, a wicked grin over his face.

"Calm down, Zero. I'm sure he has a reason for making us wait. It must be really important," X said, trying to douse his hot-headed friend. Zero replaced the saber and removed his foot from the table.

"Yeah, well, it'd better be a damn good reason..." He sulked. Just as he finished having a fit, the door slid open.

A blonde walked into the room and sat down in the chair Zero abandoned, then turned to X.

"X, whatever Signas asks you to do, _don't do it_." She pleaded. X was still trying to grasp the situation.

"Um, what?" He asked her. She drew in a long breath. "Signas asked you both to come here right? He mentioned something about Silph, right?" She asked, her voice becoming more worried. X nodded, knowing where she was going with this.

"Alia, I'll be fine. As far as I'm concerned, it's just probably another mission." She sat back in her chair.

"Close, X." X, Zero and Alia turned around to see Signas standing in the doorway. They all promptly stood up and rendered a salute, except for Zero who instead stared daggers at him. "No need for that, you're off duty." X and Alia promptly sat down while Zero treaded over to lean on the wall, having lost his seat to Alia. Signas took his own seat and began explaining why he called the three of them in.

>>>

"Absolutely _not_, Signas! This is crazy! Absurd!" Alia shouted as she jumped out of her seat. The high commander maintained his pose: elbows on the desk, chin resting on interlocked fingers.

"Alia, try to understand. I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but it must be done." He replied coolly. She got ready to protest some more, but X had already started speaking.

"So, Signas. What is the purpose of dragging Alia into this mess?" As he said the last part, Alia gave him a surprised glance. "X, any successful recon mission depends on two parts: The people doing the spying and sending information back home, and the people on the receiving end of that information. You and Zero will be the former, while Alia and myself will be the latter. I knew that she would have a cow if you suddenly came up missing."

"So why not send just Zero? No one would really miss him!" Alia blurted out. Zero promptly formed a cloud over his head. "That really hurt..."

"Besides that, we all know what Zero's like when he gets desperate. He doesn't think clearly. Besides, I know the issue in Arcadia is troubling you as well," Signas said. Alia sat back in her chair, not able to argue against what was said.

"So Sig, what exactly do you want me and X to uncover?" Zero sighed out. Signas stood up, ignoring Zero's nickname for him.

"While you two were out earlier today cleaning up the remaining Mavericks, I got an 'anonymous heads-up'." Signas now held everyone's attention. "Here, I'll play it for you." He pulled out a small console from a drawer in his desk. As he set it on top, he noticed a slightly charred section of the cherry wooden edging.

_Zztttzzt. Maverick Hunters. This is an important message from an anonymous source. A heads-up, if you will. Please help us. Our government will not do anything. They seem to not even notice our suffering. We have reason to believe that the organization known as Silph, the syndicate that has taken hold of our city, is in liege with the Mavericks. Numerous amounts of Maverick activity have blossomed in the heart of the city, killing off more of our already dwindled population. We do not know of any reason why Mavericks would suddenly appear other than because of Silph. Please, Hunters. Our government has abandoned us. We do not know who else to turn to. Please save Arcadia! Zttzzztz-zttttzzzzzzt._

Signas looked up at the three Reploids. Alia was covering her mouth with her hand, X would probably warp his metallic bones if he tightened his fist anymore, and Zero had a vigilant expression.

"So, this is the dire situation. Signas, how sure can you be of this info? I mean, for all we know, it could be Silph, the Mavericks, even the government, leading us into a trap!" Alia mused out loud. Signas leaned back in his chair. "I understand that. But if we sit back and do nothing, who knows what will happen to the city, no, Neo Tokyo. I would rather take a chance on following a fake plea than not responding at all and end up regretting it later." Alia pondered over the situation.

"...I'll do it." X stated. "If it has something to do with Mavericks, it involves Maverick Hunters."

"Me too. I'll set up a covert satellite to track his movements throughout the compound," Alia said, giving X a glance that did not go unnoticed. Signas stood up and nodded at the two of them. Now all eyes were on Zero.

"Well?" Signas said, waiting for Zero to give his verdict. Zero uncrossed his arms and propped himself off of the wall.

"I'll do it, but under one condition." Signas raised and eyebrow, beckoning for the catch.

"You tell those renovation guys that my room better be done by the time I get back, or there's gonna be hell to pay, and you promise not to lose your cool later on," He said with a smirk. Signas hummed in agreement, although confused with the last part.

"Ok, then that settles it. Now, meet up in the east side parking lot in two hours. Act like you're going on vacation." All three stood up and agreed before heading for the door.

"Also, remember: We never had this meeting. We can't afford to let this chance slip through our fingers."

"Right!" All three said before heading out the door. Signas was putting the console back into the drawer when he noticed something odd on the edging. Zero's face, showing a toothy grin, was etched into the priceless wood, with the words 'Don't lose it!' etched in next to it. Sighing, Signas gently pushed the drawer in and turned to watch the ending of Iron Chef.

To be continued...

* * *

Okay! This is where things start to change from last time. Anybody else waiting for Advance Wars DS? 10 more days! Anyway, stay tuned for more! 


	5. Chapter 5: Weapons and Vacations

**Birth of the Demon**

By: SylentStryke

Disclaimer: Capcom owns the Megaman/X/Zero series. I own this nice little creation called Birth of the Demon.

A/N: After this chapter the new chapters will be unearthed. More on that at the end of this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Weapons and Vacations**

Raydia walked into the room before her. In the room was a large group of reploids and humans alike, all suited in olive green battle armor. Except for one. He was dressed in black casual clothing, and appeared to be monitoring stats of the trainees. There were numerous weight machines of different types, treadmills, a few different reality rooms, and much more she hadn't seen before. This must be a training room.

"Hey, sis!" A voice called out from Raydia's left side. She turned in order to see a reploid who looked exactly like the one giving her a tour. Wide eyed, she turned to give regard to Rayne, who gave her a smile. "Oh yeah, Echo here is my twin." Now it made sense. Raydia thought she had seen someone that resembled Rayne back when she was in the Silph lab. "Echo, this is Raydia." The black-haired twin said.

"Heeeey! How ya doin'?" The toothy girl said while extending her hand. Raydia shook it and smiled back at her. "So, you wanna have a quick sparring match?" The silver tip-haired girl asked while bouncing around like a boxer. Rayne was quick to protest.

"Echo, she just woke up! Plus, I'm giving her a tour of the base..." Echo sighed. "Come on, sis! Why don't you let Raydia here decide?" Rayne sighed in resignation. "Fine. Just don't come crying to me if you bite off more than you can chew," she said with a light chuckle. Echo stuck out her tongue at her twin before turning to Raydia.

"So, whaddaya say, Raydia?" The blue-haired girl glanced over at Rayne. "Go ahead, hon. Give us a good show!" Raydia smiled and agreed. "Sure, let's go."

>>>

Raydia and Echo now stood in opposite corners of the sparring room, a large crowd of trainees and trainers formed around them. Each of the two combatants had headsets on and padding on their forearms and shins, as well as boxing gloves. Echo was in black, Raydia in green.

"Alright! Ready Raydia? Don't hold anything back now, cause I won't!" Echo exclaimed as she adorned a toothy grin. Raydia nodded and got into a defensive stance. Echo stood steady for a moment, then her image started to fade. Raydia's proximity sensors went wild as Echo seemed to disappear. She turned around quickly and brought up an arm to block the grab. Echo jumped back and tried a low sweep kick. Predicting this, Raydia hopped over her and delivered a high roundhouse. Echo, surprised by not feeling the sweep connect, stood up right into the kick and was sent flying back into her corner. She planted her feet into the ground to slow down the momentum.

When she finally got her footing back, she had to duck to avoid a punch to the face. Echo grabbed Raydia's arm before she could pull it back and forced it across her collarbone. Then she connected an elbow with Raydia's jaw to stun her, giving her time to kick her feet from under her. She did so and grabbed the nearest leg and gave it extra momentum, sending Raydia into a back flip that would land her on her back.

It should have happened that way, but Raydia twisted in mid-air, causing her to land in a handstand rather than her back. She sprung herself up from this position and landed gracefully on one foot. Echo swore under her breath as she readied herself for another attack.

"Who's winning so far?" A voice next to Rayne asked. She turned around to see the man in black standing behind her with a towel draped around his neck. She shook her head. "It's a stalemate so far. Echo just tried her signature throw, but Raydia somehow found a way out of it." Scar nodded as he observed the two combatants. "I'm guessing Raydia is the one who will win this one," he predicted. Rayne raised an eyebrow.

>>>

Echo howled out as she threw a flurry of punches at Raydia, who in turned blocked a few and received a few. Raydia managed to land a punch of her own, which stopped the torrent of fists coming from Echo. Echo staggered back from the blow to her left shoulder, holding it briefly before realizing she was giving away a weak point. She leant forward and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Raydia noticed something about the way she acted. Echo seemed more desperate now than focused. It could be because she never lost a spar to someone new, or because she had found a vital weak point. She shifted to the right to avoid a right jab. "_Desperation is evident in her eyes,_" Raydia thought as Echo carefully threw a quick left hook. Raydia watched as the fist sailed extremely short in front of her. Echo used the momentum from the punch to execute a sweep kick. Raydia tripped up and fell forward. She hit the padded ground with a loud thud. When she tried to get up, Echo slammed a foot down on her back, causing both fighters to cry out for different reasons. A second later, the crowd around the two erupted in an uproar. Echo was declared the victor as she took her foot off of Raydia's back.

>>>

Echo brushed past the crowd of onlookers that chanted her name and made for the locker room. Rayne made her way towards Raydia, who was surrounded by a few concerned people. Scar was right on her heels.

"Raydia! Raydia, are you okay!" Rayne asked worriedly. The blue haired reploid merely smiled at her, stood up and brushed herself off. Scar was puzzled now. This girl had just been beaten by Echo, who pulls punches on no one, and is _smiling_ about it. Not a normal reploid.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine! No scratches!" Raydia exclaimed as the crowd around her increased in size. Rayne was successful in extracting her from the mob and led her out of the training hall.

"That was pretty intense, Raydia. I was sure you'd put her in her place!" Rayne said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, you can't win 'em all. 'Unless you're Echo...who always seems to do that," Scar said. Raydia looked up at him, not knowing how to respond. He clapped a hand to his face. "That's right, I haven't introduced myself! The name's Scar Acceleron."

"Pleased to meet you Scar. I'm Raydia Delt-" She started to introduce herself but was cut off when a loud voice boomed through the halls.

"_Scar Acceleron, Rayne Zelinger and Echo Zelinger, please report to the Central Hall._"

Rayne gasped, grabbed Raydia and raced down the hall. Scar was quick to follow, barely able to keep up with the speeding reploids.

* * *

MHHQ - East Parking Lot  
Time:  
-20:45-

X hurried out of the side of the building with a mob of curious hunters on his heels. He was known for not taking vacations like normal people, so whenever he did take one, it would usually stir up some commotion. He met up with Alia on his way out and explained why he had brought his new fan club.

"X! You're going on vacation?"

"Yes."

"You're not going to stay here?"

"No."

"You don't have a virus, do you? You might have contracted the Maverick Virus! Stay away from him!" The crowd suddenly broke away from him.

"..."

This is just a little bit of the nonsense that X had to deal with while he took vacations, be it of his own choosing or forced vacations. Alia sighed hopelessly. "X, if I were you, I don't think I would ever be able to get used to big crowds. I mean, everything you do attracts some type of commotion!" X smiled sheepishly.

"Well, after you save the world from destruction/chaos/mass genocide of the human race, you kinda get used to it. Ain't that right, X?" A familiar voice blurted out behind them. Alia turned first to see Zero, dressed in what he thought was the best Hawaiian shirt ever made, complete with his trademark grin plastered and sunglasses. She laughed at the thought of how he found such a colorful shirt. X nearly fell out from laughter.

"Zero, where's the poor rainbow that you robbed all the color from?" He said as he wiped away a tear from his eye. Zero frowned and ruffled X's untamed hair. "Ha ha ha. I've heard 'em all. I still think this is the best damn shirt. Ever. I mean, it's basically an antique! It's almost as old as you, my friend." X shot him an evil looking gaze.

"And Zero, that is why you continue to be not missed by people," Alia said, sticking up for X in a motherly way.

"Nah! The reason I don't attract large crowds when I go on vacation is because I **sadden** them all to the point where they can't bear to watch me go. That, and the fact th..."

"(If only he knew...)" X and Alia thought in unison.

>>>

The group arrived at the car Signas had waiting for them. X and Alia stopped immediately, dubious expressions on their faces. On the outside, it seemed to be a standard Mitsubishi X55, but it was the inside that worried X and Alia. Signas and a few other goony hunters called themselves cupids, and the last time a Mitsubishi was provided for them...let's just say they got more than they bargained for. For all they knew, this whole thing with the past meeting could be a big plot, trying to get them together.

Zero walked forward and inspected the car. He gave the okay signal and the two doubtful hunters walked over to the trunk of the car. X popped the trunk and tossed his fake vacationing luggage in, followed by Alia, then by Zero. X hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Zero opened the front passenger door, only to be stopped by Alia. He looked down at her hand on his, then looked her in the eyes. She gulped at his strange behavior.

"Alia...I...didn't k-know you felt that way...about me..." Zero said timidly as he forced a blush on his face. Alia quickly retreated her hand and developed an anger vein on her forehead. "Yeah, right!" She slugged him in the arm for good measure. "Front seat's mine, I called shotgun a while ago." Zero saw an opportunity and proceeded to toy with her some more. He wanted front seat. "Ooohhh, I get it! You wanna have an intimate moment with your hidden crush and maybe confess your OWW!" Zero immediately gripped his leg and howled in pain. "Fine, Zero. Take the stupid seat." She tried to hide her blush but reddened even more as she looked over at X. A few moments later, the trio sped off down the road away from MHHQ.

>>>

About two minutes down the road, the car swerved sharply to the left, veering greatly off-road. "What the hell, X!" Zero shouted as he rubbed his head. X held up his hands and stared at the steering wheel with wide eyes. "I'm not the one who did it!" Zero turned his attention to the steering wheel and gasped as it twisted and thrashed insanely, compensating for the uneven and jagged terrain. Zero calmed down a bit and noticed that something seemed odd. His mind told him to look behind him.

"Waah! Wh-what the hell is that!" Alia shouted out as the area around them slowly began rising. X rolled down his window to observe the land outside the out of control car. He realized what was happening and rolled his window up. "I think _we're_ sinking!"

"_X, Zero and Alia. Prepare for and IT jump,_" an unfamiliar voice sounded on the radio. They all were beamed into oblivion before they knew exactly what the hell was going on.

* * *

Unknown  
Time:  
-20:55-

The trio was lying on the ground in a dark room. X stood up first, scanning every nook and cranny with heightened senses. Zero did the same; though he drew his saber and pointed it at everything he saw or heard. Alia more or less moved her hand up to her mouth to grab a microphone that wasn't there.

"Settle down, you three! Sorry for the sudden IT," Signas' voice rang out from a doorway they had not noticed. "OK, Matte, you can hit the lights!" The room suddenly became illuminated. The room they were in seemed like a sort of hidden Special Ops room. The lights gave the room a bluish hue.

"Welcome to Central Blue. Follow me," Signas said as he turned around and walked briskly down the hall. X, Alia and Zero all looked at each other before following their commander down the hall.

* * *

Silph HQ-Secret Dev. Lab  
Time:  
-19:30-

Shin looked around the SDL with awe. So many weapons he had never seen before. Drool was practically seeping from the corners of his mouth. "Mira! Look at how many WEAPONS there are!" He said in a loud whisper. She elbowed him in the stomach. "Control yourself, Shin. Don't touch anything," she warned. Gin called out for the two of them to come over to where he was.

"So, Dr. Torious, what exactly are you telling me?" The Gin asked, trying to grip the situation. The agitated scientist sighed and tried to put it in simpler terms. "It means that she is still incomplete. With the rest of the data, she won't be able to perform at one-hundred percent. But take heed, if you do engage her, take extreme caution. You can see what happened to the group of guards who tried to stop her by conventional means..." He said while pointing over at a video monitor. It displayed the incident that happened earlier in the day. Raydia killed the four guards in less than a minute.

"Okay, so how do you suppose we go about re-capturing her? I'm sure as hell not gonna throw a punch at her." Shin blurted out, receiving an elbow in the ribs. "That's our problem. Since she doesn't have the Control data in her systems, there's no way for us to lock on to her signature if we were to do a wide area scan. Even if we do recover her, by some slim chance, the probability of her cooperating with us is slim." Gin raised an eyebrow. "How slim, Doctor?"

"A 5.00003 percentile chance. And that number is decreasing each hour. She has an advanced learning unit, and will be bound to question our goal."

"Are you saying that it impossible to bring her back?" Mira got to the point. The scientist looked at her. "Yes...basically." Gin stood up and slammed his fists on the table. "Torious, tell me you have another plan." He said through clenched teeth. Torious pushed his glasses up on his face.

"Yes sir, I do. There _is _a reason why I wanted those two to come along with you." Gin looked at Shin and Mira, realizing that he had a point. "That's right. So, what are you proposing?" The doctor smiled as he walked over towards a panel on the wall. The entire wall lifted up to reveal a cloud of smoke. After it spread out, the scientist walked back over towards Mira. He handed her a short, black, metallic pole. She noticed that it had no buttons on it whatsoever. While she inspected the device, Shin was rather anxious to receive a gift. He shrieked sharply when he saw a large...thing...strapped to the scientist's back, and another...thing...hoisted on his arm. Torious saw how the red armored reploid jumped around insanely and decided against giving him a weapon in here. "You get yours when we get to the roof." Shin immediately saddened and became idle. Gin gave the doctor a confused look. "Follow me if you would. I have to show you how these weapons work."

>>>

When they got to the roof, Torious set the large container on his back and cannon on his arm down on the ground. Gin stood watch over it to make sure Shin didn't blow them to hell with it.

"Um, Dr. Torious, how exactly does this...what is this thing?" Mira asked while looking at the confusingly simple device. He grabbed it from her and held it like a baton. He then swung it through the air and an orange blade appeared from the handle. Mira gasped with realization. "So it's a saber. (_Awesome!)_" Torious then snapped it to the side and the orange blade broke apart and fell to the ground, the blade sections strung together. "...a whip? (_A whip!_)" He then deactivated it and threw it forward. As it spiraled, short stubby blades jutted out from each end, creating a bladed disk. It circled around back to him as it reached a point. He caught it and handed it back to Mira. "I call it, the M Variable. All you have to do it swing the hilt like the weapon you want to use. The size of the blade depends on where you need to strike. It will extend up to eight feet, depending on the weapon." Mira nodded, the smile on her face broadening. Torious walked over to Shin, who was tapping his foot anxiously waiting for an explanation of his weapon.

"OK. This is how theE Crasher functions," Torious said as he opened the pack on his back. "There's nothing in there. It's empty." Shin said disappointedly. Torious closed the pack and pointed the large cannon in the air. Plasma particles began materializing and flew into the pack. Torious opened the pack to reveal ten explosive shells inside the pack. Shin shrieked sharply. "Press a button on the grip to create some shells. The first button creates artillery grade explosives, second creates super condensed plasma grenades, and the third makes heat-seeking, short ranged missiles. You can combine two different charges to create three additional shell types: Artillery Plasma, Heat-seeking artillery and Plasma Heat-Seekers. Combine all of the charges and you'll get a special, super explosive. But, that one takes up to five minutes of uninterrupted charging. Also, the barrel of the cannon slides back to activate a magnetic rail-gun when no shell is loaded into the cannon. He pointed the cannon at a run-down building and pulled the trigger. The barrel slid back as promised and a muzzle for a rail-gun popped up. A torrent of bullets erupted from the muzzle and tore up the building across the way. He reached into the pack and pulled out an artillery shell, which he then loaded into the slot on the side of the cannon. After closing the slot, he aimed it at the upper corner of the rail-gunned building and pulled the trigger. The shell was forced out of barrel with a low 'thunk' and crippled the building. Shin gasped at the weapon for three reasons. One, the sheer power and overall design was amazing. Two, it was recoilless. And three, no casing was ejected from the weapon after the shell was fired, making it somewhat...environmentally friendly. Torious handed him the weapon and pack. Gin gave him a round of applause.

"Shin and Mira, this is why the SDL is in constant shadows to everyone. But, Torious..." He turned to the confident scientist. "What's the point of giving them these weapons? Judging from the surveillance camera, Raydia would be more than a match for them." Torious grinned. "Those weapons were intended for use _by_ Raydia; not _against_ her." The other three just looked confused by his riddles. "Follow me, there is one more thing I must give you."

"What is it?" Mira asked almost immediately. Torious simply flashed her a grin. "'The answer' to 'the answer to our problems'."

To be continued...

* * *

Okay! That's it for the rewritten chapters! Now, to hit on a few important notes. "G's" are good points, "B's" are bad points.

G: I will try to get at least two chapters out with each update from now on.

G: I had a major brainstorm which will get expressed into what I hope is a great story.

G: I am currently thinking of how to link the X and Zero series, letting Command Mission be the last game in the storyline so far.

G: I will release a new fanfic about Advance Wars soon. (See below for the Bad point)

B: More chapters at a time also means a longer time for updates.

B: Due to the fact that Advance Wars: Dual Strike is hitting stores tomorrow, I will be going to pick my copy up. This will result in increasing my lengthy updates.

B: School will be back in session in two weeks. For where I live, at least. I'm in my senior year of high school, and have some challenging classes this time around. So that will **also** increase my update lengths.

So there is what I will be putting my time and effort into. So don't be too surprised if I seem to disappear for a couple of weeks. If you have a Nintendo DS, get AW:DS! If you don't have one, then buy one soon, dammit:)

As always, in one form or another: Till next time!

P.S.: I had fun rewritting this one. I rather like the weapons my crazy mind created.


	6. Chapter 6: Infiltration

**Birth of the Demon**

By: SylentStryke

Disclaimer: Capcom owns the Megaman/X/Zero series. I own this nice little creation called Birth of the Demon.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Infiltration**

Central Blue  
Time:  
-21:10-

X finished zipping up the jumpsuit he was wearing and began attaching the super formfitting bracers and shin guards. Zero slipped on the chest plate and gasped forcefully as it clamped together. "Dammit! I'm not liking this...suit!" X paid him no mind as he put his own chest plate on. It clamped down in the same way as it did on Zero, but didn't fit as tightly due to his smaller stature. X stood up and tried walking. He smiled as he didn't hear any sound. He then proceeded to jump on the wall. To his surprise, he fell right on his ass. Zero laughed in shallow bursts at his fallen friend. "Well, now I know what **not** to try!" Embarrassed, X stood up and brushed himself off. "C'mon, Zero. Let's go," he said hurriedly as he headed for the door.

Alia rounded the corner and headed for the door. She stopped at it and was about to knock when the hallway shook violently. She screamed and fell forward towards the door. Though he wasn't expecting to, X opened the door just in time to catch her. But he tipped over backwards from both the quake and Alia pressing against him. Now they lay in an awkward position: X sprawled out on his back with his hand on her chest, with Alia laying on top of him, their eyes locked on to each other. They both were lost for words and they continued to stare at each other. Zero merely watched for what would happen next. They continued to remain in that position, reddening by the second. "Well?" Zero sighed out anxiously. Alia quickly climbed off of X as he made sure his hands didn't move an inch. He got up to his feet and started apologizing rapidly. Alia did more or less of the same. Then they both stared down at the ground. Zero couldn't tell who was redder.

"God, you guys are pathetic! But I'll work on that later. Right now, we have a job to do. So, let's go lobster twins!" He basically had to shove Alia out and slap X to get them to walk. "I'm REALLY gonna work on this later!"

>>>

Signas stood in a podium much like the one back at MHHQ. He constantly checked the holo-map in the center of the small room, looking for any places that X and Zero could hide while on this mission. They would likely be in Arcadia for two days or more. He had been interested in Silph ever since rumors popped up about them. "Silph..."

He was not only interested in them; he was basically obsessed. But the government wouldn't permit the hunters to investigate. Now that he thought about it, why didn't the government take action against this obvious threat? It's almost as if they are hiding something. His train of thought was broken as the door to his left shot open.

X and Alia walked in followed by Zero, who was shaking his head at the two. Signas also shook his head, knowing that they would never progress as long as they kept avoiding each other's signals.

"What're we gonna do about 'em, Signas?" Zero asked nonchalantly. Signas shook his head in response. "We'll figure that out later. That mild quake you felt earlier was a stray buoy. Anyway, I see you're wearing your thermal suits." X and Zero looked down at themselves. "That's right. Just what the hell are these things supposed to do? Besides be annoying," Zero said while resisting the urge to stretch his chest plate.

"I believe _I _can answer that," the unfamiliar voice from before called out. Signas stepped to the side, revealing a reploid sitting at a computer console. He spun his chair around and stopped when he was facing X and Zero by kicking his feet out. X raised an eyebrow.

"And you are..."

"Matte, at your service. I designed the stealth suits you two are wearing, as well as these..." He said as he rummaged through his box. Snapping his fingers, he hopped off the chair and strolled over to the door behind the two hunters. "Follow me," he commanded. Shrugging, X and Zero followed him.

>>>

When they reached the R&D room, Matte tossed X a pair of devices. He caught them and stared at them with awe. They were the same gray color as the stealth suits. They looked like ancient radio receiver earphones with a microphone line protruding from it. It almost resembled what the navigators at MHHQ wore, only without the large earpiece, and a smaller mic line. "As if you didn't know, those are portable comm links. Basically, the thing that's in your helmet." X nodded his head in realization and handed one to Zero. He placed it in his ear and heard something click. Zero did the same, although at a much slower pace. Matte used the time to fish out two weapons: a sleek black buster gauntlet for X, and a similar looking saber for Zero.

"Those weapons are modified versions of your standard X-Buster Mk V, and Z-Saber." Zero activated the saber's green blade. He looked around the blade for any differences. Disappointed and suspicious, he asked the newbie.

"...Modified in what way?"

"Those weapons will stun your enemies, should you encounter any. Instead of forming condensed plasma into a blade or rounds, it is used mostly for silencing the weapon. They now-"

"They now are no better than a Nerf gun and a foam pool floaty; gotcha. Thanks a _bunch_." Zero cut in, making sure to sound as sarcastic as possible. Matte sighed and gestured for them to follow him.

X and Zero arrived in the Navigation room after a few minutes. Signas noted their return and turned to regard them. Matte hopped up on his console and put on a headset. X looked around the small room as if he had been here before. Zero was stretching his limbs, getting ready for whatever was to come.

Signas drew in a quick breath. "Okay, X and Zero. Here's the rundown..."

>>>

X sat down on a Ride Chaser after much protest. "X, that isn't a Ride Chaser. It's a prototype...er, _new model_ Sea Chaser. This thing will function like a Ride Chaser, but will function underwater." X strapped on a mask and looked at Matte with confusion.

"Why can't I swim there? I bet it's a lot safer than riding on _this_ thing." Matte sighed. "Believe me: you wouldn't want to be swimming without a guide." X was about to say something when his mini comm went off.

"_X? Can you hear me?_"

"Alia? Loud and clear. What's up?"

"_Um...you remember your route, right?_"

"Yep. Once I reach the docking bay, I wait until Zero makes his entrance. That should draw the attention away from the area I'll be in."

"_Right...That's when you proceed to their main base of ops. Sigh..._"

"Alia? Are you okay?"

"_X...promise me you'll make it out alive. I don't care if this operation fails, you just don't do anything stupid, OK?_"

"..."

"_X?_"

"I...I'll try."

"_X..._" Signas appeared on the holo-monitor on the wall near the exit bay. "Launch is ready, X. On your signal." X revved the engine as the platform his watercraft was on sunk into the water. After letting his lungs fill with water, he gave the signal for launch. The doors before him shot open and he was jettisoned out of the U-555.

* * *

Arcadia Ruins-Bluffs  
Time:  
-21:48- 

A girl sat atop the cliffs of what once was Arcadia. Namely, her home. Her parents had died when Arcadia was taken over, no one at the orphanage cared for her, and on top of that, she was only twelve. Tears ran from her eyes as she thought about these things. She needed an escape route; something to take her away from this hell. She looked down over the cliff and spied a glowing object in the water below. She watched her tears leap from her eyes into the sea. A faint smile crept onto her face as she continued to gaze into the mostly calm ocean. That smile turned into a gasp of horror as she lost her footing to some loose debris. Her body surged forward and began to plummet over the edge. What came next was instinct: she screamed.

Something tugged on her shoulders and pulled her back onto the edge. The frightened girl turned around to face her savior.

"Hey, watch your step!" The figure said to her. She looked up at the feminine figure with teary eyes before running off towards the orphanage. Mira looked on at the young girl with a sad expression. Was what Silph doing right? Making innocents suffer?

"...hmm..." She sighed. She turned to the cliff she had rescued the girl from and looked at it with wonder. She got up and slowly walked over towards the cliff. "What was that girl looking at anyway?" As she drew closer to the edge, something told her to ready her weapon. She did so and took another step towards the edge. Just as she peered over the edge, a violent explosion rocked the ground, almost making her teeter over the edge.

"Whoa, shit! An explosion?" She immediately looked over her shoulder and saw a plume of black smoke in the distance. Making a mental note of the cliff, she darted off toward the smoke, unbeknownst to the wet figure making its way up the cliff.

"Hah. Hah. Hah..." X looked around the area, making sure that he was alone. He dashed silently over toward a large rock sticking out of the ground. Pulling off his water mask, he turned his new comm link on.

"Come in, Central Blue. This is X."

"_Good job, X. Where are you located?_"

"I'm at the bluffs, west of the city."

"_Has anyone seen you?_"

"No. I had a close call, but they don't know I'm here."

"_Alright. Proceed carefully._"

"Will do."

"_And X! Um..._"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"_...I'm sorry for what happened earlier. You know...for falling...for you. No! I meant 'on you'!_"

"Oh! Don't worry about it; accidents happen." X didn't need to see Alia to know she was blushing. Then he remembered something.

"Alia! That _was_ the U-555 I was launched from, right?"

"_Huh? Oh, yeah! It is, isn't it?_"

"But, I thought Zero destroyed that thing years ago?"

"_He did. This thing we're riding in is a replica. Zero destroyed the original._"

"Figures. Well, at least I got a chance to see it."

He peeked over the rock he was hiding behind to scope out the area, not expecting to be eye to eye with Mira.

He jumped back and activated his buster, keeping his eyes trained on his eavesdropper as he steadied his aim.

"Now, now. It isn't nice to point..." Mira said with a smirk. X soon heard a sound that could only be described as an army of angry weapons.

Looking around him, he saw no less than a dozen Silph guards with rifles and handguns training lasers on him.

"...shit..."

* * *

Northern Arcadia Ruins  
Time:  
-21:50- 

Zero did everything he could to keep his screams down to a minimum as he plummeted to the northern section of the city. He didn't feel exactly safe in this 'stealth craft'. After he could see the main Silph building, he radioed in to Matte.

"Hey, this is Zero! What do I do now?"

"_Zero. What's your status?_"

"Falling very rapidly and sick to my stomach! What do I do next?" His voice was a bit higher than normal.

"_Activate the cockpit jettison mechanism._" Matte said in a smooth, calm tone. Zero looked down at the numerous amount of flashing items around him.

"Activate the thingamahooser WHAT!"

"_Sigh. Pull the red candy cane lever._" He found it and hastily pulled said lever. He hollered as his seat was separated from the ball-shaped ship. The wind met his synthflesh with biting ferocity as he flew through the starless sky. He noticed that it seemed like he was going faster outside than he was inside. As he straightened out, his seat ejected some sort of fabric device attached to ropes. The seat jerked back as if it hit a foam barrier. Zero's mask fogged up as he started breathing again.

Mere seconds later, the craft he was in exploded and rocked the land below. Smirking, he undid the restraint and slid off of the seat once it was about fifty yards above the landing zone. He landed with a thud and placed his hands on the ground to keep his balance. He stood up and removed his mask. Next, he untied the headband around his head, letting his long, golden hair whip and snap in the wind. Looking around his immediate area, he drew in a deep breath.

"This is Zero. I've been successfully inserted into the enemy's territory."

"_Good job, Zero. Make sure you don't alert the enemy to your presence. That craft explosion should buy you some time to find a way into the main building._"

"Roger that. Commencing operation."

To be continued...

* * *

Woo! New chapter! Finally! Sorry it took so long, but school is kicking my rear end. That _and _ROTC. But, now that the 1st term is almost over, I'll have more time to write. Also, the next update will be a double. Till next time! 


End file.
